The present invention relates to a modular structure formed of components which when assembled define the basic chassis of a land, sea or air vehicle, to which may be attached various body forms to create a vehicle of a desired type.
The major elements of an automobile are the chassis on which all other elements are assembled; the running gear; the propulsion means; the body, and various accessories. In the typical motor car, the chassis or structural frame is composed of a network of beams and tubular steel members mainly located in a horizontal plane, rigidity being provided by beam action.
The running gear supported on the chassis consists of wheels, springs, axles, brakes and a steering mechanism. In addition to an internal combustion engine supported on the chassis, the propulsion means includes a transmission and a drive shaft to operatively couple the engine to the driven wheels. The body is mounted over the chassis and includes glazing, doors and interior fittings. The accessories are constituted by the radiator, the fuel tank, the defroster and other auxiliaries.
Mass production and assembly line techniques were first introduced in 1917 by the Ford Motor Company. In manufacturing the Model T, the first low-priced vehicle, the chassis, the engine and all other elements of the car were put together at a series of work stations in an assembly plant and then tested; after which the assembly was driven to a site outside the plant where the body was caused to slide down a chute onto the top of the chassis. After the body was bolted in place, the complete Model T was ready to be driven away. This now seemingly obvious procedure then represented a radical innovation in manufacturing techniques.
With the sharply rising cost of fuel and growing competition from foreign manufacturers, who have greatly advanced assembly line techniques, American automakers are being subjected to increasing pressure to construct smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles. And while the current crop of compact vehicles being manufactured by the major American car makers represent a progressive step in this direction, the paradoxical fact is that these vehicles, despite their reduced size and weight, are nevertheless more expensive than vehicles of traditional size.
The higher cost of modern compact cars cannot entirely be imputed to an inflated economy. These compacts, as presently produced, are essentially small-scale versions of larger vehicles and their frames and bodies are assembled in basically the same way, for they have not undergone any fundamental structural changes.
For example, one can reduce the weight of a vehicle by substituting high-strength plastic parts for steel and other metal parts, but this does not necessarily result in a significant saving; for not only are petroleum-derived plastics going up in cost, but since the basic structural design of the vehicle is unchanged, assembly costs remain high. Thus the use of a fiberglass-reinforced plastic shell for the body of a car rather than a conventional metal shell makes possible a lighter body, but not a less expensive one. And since existing assembly procedures are labor intensive, it is now more expensive to produce a modern compact car than it was to manufacture a larger vehicle.
In our above-identified copending application, there is disclosed an all plastic, or composite, or advanced composite, or metal, or honeycomb modular structure whose components, when assembled, define a trussed chassis usable in conjunction with a broad range of different body configurations to create an automotive vehicle of any desired type. This modular structure is composed of two identical cradles which are bridged by a floor tray to create a chassis for supporting all other elements of the vehicle.
The present case expands the principles underlying the invention to encompass sea and air as well as land vehicles; for essentially the same trussed chassis can be used to advantage in all such vehicles.
Relevant to this invention is the White U.S. Pat. No. 2,973,220, in which a plastic car body is formed of molded front and rear sections that are joined together to create the basic structure. Also pertinent is the Porsche U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,524, in which the car body is composed of front, rear and middle sections formed of pressed synthetic sheet material. A plastic chassis frame is disclosed in the patent to Thompson, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,948, as well as in the Schroder U.S. Pat. No. 3,331,627. Also relevant are the patent to Leonardis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,987 and the French patent to Covini, U.S. Pat. No. 2,471,307.